August de Civ Dei l. 5. cap. 12 to set Honors temple close on the backside of Vertues temple and not wittingly to suffer any to come into the Temple of Honour which haue not first done their devotion in the Temple of Vertue not to make his Iudges and chiefe Magistrates like f Ieroboams Priests of the basest e 1 Kin. 12.31 lowest of tâ—e people but such as g Eood 18.21 Moses at Iethro's perswasion made Iudges over Israel men of courage fearing God men dealing truly and hating covetousnesse 14 And such R. H. you haue by good demonstrations evidently proued your selues to bee So that to make any large discourse before you of your particular duties may pervadventure seeme vnto some as needlesse a peece of work as it was for h Tull. de orat lib. â—â— Phâ—rmio to make a military discourse before Annibal or for Plotin to read a lecture in Philosophie in the presence of Origen Yet because it comes within the limits of my text I beseech you that you wil with patieÌ„ce heare me while I shall say somewhat of that dutie which God requires at your hands in that hee hath seated you in those high roomes Many will tell you of the greatnesse of your places but not so many will truly acquaint you with that which God requires for the discharging of those places For my part me thinkes I may say vnto you as i Liv. dec 1. lib. 10. Lucius Posthumius sometimes said vnto the Senatours of Rome Non sum Patres-conscripti adeò vestrae dignitatis memor vt obliviscar me esse CoÌ„sulem I am not so mindfull of the greatnesse of your places that I should in the meane time forget mine owne how that God hath made me his Ambassadour commanded mee to acquaint you with some part of his will 15 It is our parts duties to giue you that reverence and honour which is due vnto men of your place But yet as the people said vnto the Asse that caried the image of Isis when the beast seemed to be proud because the people bowed as it went along the streets as if the honour had beene giuen vnto it and not vnto the image religioni noÌ„ tibi said they it is not thee but the goddesse whom wee worship So it is not to you as yee are men but as you are in Gods place do beare and resemble his person that we exhibit this reverence You are Gods but yee are Gods on earth and Gods of earth as wee shall heare anon Mathematitians tell vs that the whole earth is but a point in respect of the highest moueable it is no more in respect of that heaven which is Gods throne then k Aelian Var. hist l. 3. Alcibiades his lands were in that mappe of Greece that Socrates shewed vnto him The greatest Iudge in the world if his circuit should extende over the whole globe of the earth is but a God of Gods footstoole Your circuit is farre lesse you are but Gods of an outcorner nay a little portion of an out-corner of Gods footstoole Let mee then speake vnto you in the words of the Tragoedian Vos quibus rector maris l Seneca in Thyeste atque terrae Ius dedit magnum necis atque vitae Ponite inslatos tumidosque vultus you whom the God of heaven and earth hath so highly extolled as to make Iudges of life and death bee not proud of your autorities but thinke with your selues that Quicquid à vobis minor extimescit Maior hoc vobis Dominus minatur What hurt soever your inferiours shall sustaine by your meanes there is a greater God that threatneth the same nay a worse vnto you m Psal 2. Be wise now therefore O yee Gods be learned yee that are Iudges of the earth serue the Lord with feare and reioice before him with trembling kisse the sonne least he be angry Let his word be a law to direct your sentences his will the line to measure your actions With what conscience can those hands subscribe to an vntruth which should be Gods instruments to confirme a right with what faces can those mouthes pronounce an vniust senteÌ„ce which should be the organes of God to confirme a right When you do amisse you are not only iniurious vnto man whom yee wrong but contumelious vnto God whose sacred iudgments yee pollute Giue mee leaue then to say vnto you with good king n 2. Chr. 19 6 7.10 Iehosophat take heed what yee doe for yee execute not the iudgements of man but of the Lord he will be with you in the cause and iudgement Wherefore now let the feare of God be vpon you take heed and doe it for there is no iniquitie in the Lord our God neither respect of persons nor receauing of reward Therefore in every cause that shall come vnto you between blood and blood between law and precept statute and â—udgement yee shall iudge the people according vnto right and admonish them that they trespasse not against the Lord. Let me say with o Deut. 1.16 17. Moses Iudge righteously betweene every man and his brother and the stranger that is with him yee shall haue no respect of persons in iudgement but shall heare the small as well as the great With p Ier. 22.3 Ieremiah vnto the king of Iudah Execute iudgement and righteousnesse deliver the oppressed from the handes of the oppressour vexe not the stranger the fatherlesse nor the widow doe no violence nor shed innocent blood in this place And finally with my Prophet in this Psalme Defend the poore and fatherlesse see that such as be in need necessity haue right deliver the outcast and poore saue them from the hands of the vngodly 16 I speake not this as if I would haue you to exceed the limits of iustice for coÌ„miserating the cause of the poore I know the poore may offend as well as the rich as the poore is to be pitied so the rich is not to be wronged And he that hath given this law vnto the Magistrate that he should not respect the persoÌ„ of the mightie hath giuen this also q Lev. 19.15 that he should not favour the person of the poore It is not the miserie of the one nor the felicitie of the other that the Iudge is to respect For the matters in question sound them to the bottome anatomize them to the least particle and sift them to the branneâ— but for the parties whom they doe concerne further then this that yee are to iudge betweene a man and a man yee ought not to enquire The r 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lawe in the Greeke tongue comes from a verbe that signifieth to divide because it divideth to every man that which is his own You then which are dispensers of the lawe should giue to every one poore or rich that which is his right Herevpon it is that Å¿ Arist Eth.
Mat. 19.24 the narrow way that leadeth to heaven that those goods which by grinding and oppressing they haue scraped together the Lord will fan them away with the fan of vanitie vnlesse as o Dan. 4.24 Daniel said to Nabuchadnezzar they breake off their sinnes by righteousnes and their iniquitie by mercy towardes the poore that which they haue by vnlawfull meanes gotten with Zachaeus p Luk. 19.8 they restore it againe foure-fold 20 From the Locust wee come to the Cankar-worme from oppressing Ahab to bribing Gehazi of whom I may truely affirme that which q Hist lib. 8. Tacitus speakes of the Astrologians in Rome it is genus hominum pestilens fallax quod in hac republicae semper prohibetur semper retinetur a pestilent and froward kind of people which hath beene still gaine said and yet never more common and frequent then now an ofspring not so degenerate from the Ioines of Iudas as is the oppressour Because the oppressour like the fat Buls of Basan closeth the poore on every side and gapes vpon him with his mouth as it were a ramping a roaring lion wheras the briber r Psa 10.8.10 lieth closely in the theeuish corners of the streets that hee may ravish such as he shall get into his net The oppressour takes it perforce the briber gets all by secret compact What will yee giue me Å¿ Est 4.11 None might come to the inner court of king Ahashuerosh saue hee to whom the king held out his golden scepter But none may come to the bribers inner court saue hee that shall hold out a golden scepter vnto him Be thy cause never so light in the balance of equitie it is not material if thou canst make it vp in gold it shall be currant through his liberties Right and wrong truth and falshood are onely distinguished by their attendants If iniustice get the overthrowe it is because shee is not garded with such companies as are expected But I haue not Elishaes eies to point out Gehazi and to obserue what he hath done in secret therefore I will passe him over onely thus much I would haue him to knowe that Iudas caÌ„not so secretly compact with the Priests but Christ knoweth it That speech of our blessed Saviour which that worthy Martyr Hugh Latimer vsed for his posie is an vndoubted truth There is nothing so secret but it shall bee revealed Thou maist well flatter thy selfe with an outward shew of iustice like that monster in the t Hor. epiâ—â— lib. 1. ep â—6 Poet Pulchra Laverna Da mihi fallere da sanctum iustumque videri Noctem peccatis fraudibus obijce nubem O beautifull Laverna grant that I may deceaue the world with a counterfeit shew of holinesse cover my sinnes with a cloud of obscuritie that they may bee hid Deceaue the world thou maist but thou canst not deceaue God u Ovâ—d met Sol oculis hominem quibus aspicit omnia cernit God whose eies are ten thousand times brighter then the sun caÌ„ pierce through this cloud if it were darker then hell and behold thy doing It is no heathenish couÌ„sell which a heathen man giues neither doth it smell of Epicurisme though it was his dictate who was the father of that swinish sect a Epicurus apud Sence that whatsoever thou art about to doe though never so secret thou shouldst still imagine that some doth behold thee and obserue thy actions Vt sic tanquam illo spectante vivas omnia taÌ„quam illo vidente facias saith Seneca And therefore whatsoever thou art about to doe saith the same writer imagine that Cato a severe reprehender of the least vices or if this be too much suppose that Laelius a man of a quiet disposition but such as cannot brooke any notable offence doth behold thee This is good counsell of a heathen man which knewe not God aright But thou which doest professe Christianitie shouldst goe a step further and fully assure thy selfe that not a sinfull man but that a sinne-revenging God doth watch thee Propè à te Deus est tecuÌ„ est intùs est And Sacer in te spiritus sedet bonorum malorumque observator custos as the heathen Stoicke divinely speaketh there is a holy spirit within thee which seeth whatsoever thou doest good or bad Do not then deceaue thy selfe like that Sophister in b â—ost anal 〈◊〉 1. cap. 1. Aristotle who thought it impossible to know by demonstration the affections of a number or triangle because he kept some number or triaÌ„gle in his fist which otheâ—s did not knowe of Be it Nummus or Numerus triangle or crosse or whatsoever it bee thou canst not keepe it so closely in thy hand but God lookes into it and will one day call thee to an accouÌ„t for it 21 In the last place comes the Grashopper the cozening Lawyer who feedes his client with sugered words golden hopes but al proues in the end for a quid mihi dabitis Here as Tullie said vnto the Romans touching the Catilinarians Cupio me Patres CoÌ„scripti esse clementem cupio non dissolutum videri I would gladly hold my peace and not bee iudged by any to exceed the limits of modestie But Voces reip imò totius regni me nequitiae inertiaeque condemnarent the voice of the whole kingdome exclaiming against the great abuses of these times would condemne me of negligence The time is protracted vnnecessarie delaies are vsed newe doubts are dayly invented insomuch that the causes are oftentimes more vncertaine in the latter end theÌ„ they were at the first beginning What postings off from court to court what delaies and procrastinations from tearme to tearme from yeare to yeare in somuch that a man may sooner travel about the whole globe of the earth then passe through an English court The laws are made like a game at the cards wherein all the players are loosers and all the gaine comes to the butler which founde them cards to play on And the lawyers proue such arbitratours as was Quintus Fabius in Tullie who being appointed a daiesman betweene the Nolanes and the Neopolitanes touching the borders of their grounds tooke a great part of their right from both or rather like to Philip of Macedon who being chosen a iudge betweene two brethren touching their fathers kingdome took it from theÌ„ both and reserved it to himselfe They take froÌ„ both the parties though not the same numero which they contend for yet the same specie I meane the value of the same and gaine it to themselues The silly sheepe in a tempest runnes to a briarbush for a shelter when the storme is overblowne he is so clasped in the briars that before hee get out he is enforced to leaue some good parte of his fleece behinde him so that he is made vnable to endure the next storme And yet better it is that he should indure it with patience then by having
king over Israel and was without cause hunted by Saul like a Pelican in the wildernes and an owle in the desart 11 Then to draw thy sword to seek perforce to depose such as God hath placed over thee either because they are not sutable to thy affections or not faithfull in their places what is it but with the old gyants 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to fight with God with the curre dog to bite at the stone not regard who casteth it or with the rebellious child to snatch at the rodde never remember who smiten with it The weapons of a Christian in this case wheÌ„ such a case doth happeÌ„ must be preces lacrymae prayers that either God would turne the heart of an evill magistrate or set in his roome a man n 1. Sam. 13 14. David-like after his owne heart and teares for his sinnes which as they are the cause of warre famine pestilence and all other calamities so are they also of wicked vngodly magistrates Otherwise they haue reason to feare that if God should displace an evil magistrate he would sett a worse in his rooÌ„e According to that of thâ— o Val Max. lib. 6. cap. 2. old wife of Syracuse who when others praied for the death of Dionysius the Tyrant shee prayed for his long life being sent for by Dyonysius demaunded wherin she was beholden vnto him that she so devoutly prayed for him in nothing said she am I beholden to thee yet I haue great reason to pray for thee For I remember wheÌ„ I was a yong wench there was a cruel tyrant that reigned over vs and all of vs prayd for his death I as fast as any shortly after he was slayne and then came a worse in his roome Then we prayed for his death at length he was dispatched Now after both these art thou come and thou art a thousand times worse then all thy predecessours And who knowes but when thou art gone God may if it bee possible send a worse in thy roome This they may iustly expect which coÌ„tinue in their sinnes think by their private endeavours to crosse Gods ordinance Thus much of those duties which are required at the hand of every private man towards the Magistrate Vse 2 12 My secoÌ„d inference shal touch those duties that are required at the hands of Magistrates in that God hath made theÌ„ his deputies As God hath done great things for them so he requireth much at their hands But alas it often falleth out that those which owe God the most pay him the least and those who of al others should be most carefull of their places of al others make the least coÌ„science of their waies p Annal. l. 6 Tacitus reporteth of Claudius that he was a good subiect but an ill Emperour q Hist lib. 2. of Titus that he was an ill subiect but a good Emperour Where one proues like Titus two proue like Claudius Honours change manners And those goodly blossomes which did appeare in many when they were private men when they come in Gods place like frost-eaten buds wither away proue like thunder-blasted fruit not worth the touching much lesse the tasting It is noted of r Buchcâ—c Ind. Chron. Aeneas Syluius that when once he became Pope and got his name changed into Pius secundus he condemned divers of those things which he had written wheÌ„ he was a private maÌ„ Whervpon one came over him with this quippe quod Aeneas probavit Pius damnavit that which Aeneas commended Pius condemned A fault to which men of eminent place are too much subiect to condemne and dislike those good things when they are in autority which they approved when they were privat men Quod Aeneas probavit Pius damnabit Thus those whoÌ„ God cals Elohim change their natures and proue Elilim idols and vanities The heathen persecuters as f Abbas Visp some writers haue recorded in the place where Christ was crucified had placed the image of Venus a heathen idoll that if any should worship Christ he might seem to adore Venus This is the devils practise to set an idoll in Gods roome sometimes a Venus a Cupid that vse their authority for the enioying of their owne carnal pleasures sometimes a Mars vsing his power to blood and revenge sometimes a Saturne that eateth vp his childreÌ„ that is his inferiours which he should affect as a father doth his own children as if they were bread sometimes a Mercurie who is eloquent in speaking but withall nimble in fingring having a smooth tongue like Iacob but rough hands like Esau nay Eagle clawes like Nabuchadnezzar to scrape and scratch togither whatsoever comes in his way vsing his place only for his owne advantage Here is the vndoing of all for besides that Gods place is polluted and the people wronged there is an evill president given to private meÌ„ to follow the wicked example of their governours For as the lower spheres follow the motion of the higher so in the common-wealth those that are of an inferior ranke are ready to follow the practise of those that are set over them When a shrub or bramble falleth they hurt none but themselues but when a Cedar of Lebanon or an oke of Basan falleth down goes al the vnder-wood that grows about theÌ„ It is the nature of the plague to infect vpwards from a lower to a higher roome but the plague of sin is more forcible in infecting downewards from an higher to a lower room It discends froÌ„ the top to the toe froÌ„ the head to the skirts of the clothing If t Mat. 2.3 Herod be troubled about the birth of Christ all Ierusalem will be in an vproare with him And if u 1. Kin. 12 Ieroboam be an idolater a Claud. componitur orbis Regis ad exemplum all Israel wil go a whoring after him And herevpoÌ„ it is that yee shall seldome meet with his name in the books of Kings but you shall finde him branded in the forehead with this marke that he made Israel to sinne 13 God be thanked wee haue no great occasion of complaint at this day especially in our chiefe Magistrates I wish I might without checke of conscience say as much of those that are of an inferiour ranke The Lord hath set over vs his name for ever bee blessed for it a most godly and religious King of whom as b Rarâ tempoâ—um felicitate vbi sentire qua velis quae sentis dicere licet Hist lib. 1. Tacitus â—aith of Traiane and Cocceius Nerva a man may thinke what he wil speake what he thinkes God hath giuen him as hee did vnto c 1. King 4 29. Solomon a large heart as the sand that is vpon the sea shoare to iudge his people according to right and to d 1. Kin. 3 9 discerne betweene good and bad Whose princely care is to obserue the practise of the olde Romanes e
2. Propos 8 God as he is iealous of his honour so is he of his name too He will not giue it vnto any other but only so far as he hath some resemblance with him I finde only 3 in Gods booke to say nothing of that eternal essence to which it principally agreeth which haue this name given theÌ„ The first is Satan who by reason of his great almost vâ—limited power which he hath for a time here on earth by ruling raigning in the hearts of the childreÌ„ of disobedience is called a God The God of this world 2. Cor. 2.4 The second are the blessed Angels those yeomen of the guard in the court of heaven which wait about the throne of God These by reason of their supereminent offices are called Gods Thou hast made him a little inferiour to the Gods Psal 8.5 which the Apostle following the Septuagint translateth Angels Heb. 2.7 The third is the Magistrate who both in this Psalme sundry other places of Scripture is called a God His master shall bring him to the Gods Exod. 21.6 Thou shalt not rayle vpon the Gods Exod. 22.28 that is the Iudges implying thus much that as they haue a commaundement and autoritie from God so they haue in some sense the autoritie of God and doe supply his roome Therefore said Moses vnto the Iudges which he appointed in every city t Deut. 1.36 ye shall not feare the face of man for the iudgement is Gods And Iehosophat to those Iudges which hee had set in the strong cities of Iudah u 2. Chr. 19 6. take heed what you doe for yee execute not the iudgement of man but of the Lord. Vse 1 9 Now then if Magistrates bee Gods deputies what reverence it behoueth each private person to exhibit vnto theÌ„ I appeale to the conscience of every particular There bee many at this day who howsoever in common civilitie they wil seeme to giue an outward reverence vnto the Magistrate yet in heart they scorn and contemne sundry of them as perchance not being able to equalize them in wealth peradventure not discending of so ancient a house as they a Horat. Tunè Syri Damae aut Dionysi filius audes Deijcere e saxo cives et tradere Cadmo It was an olde obiection in the Satyrist what darest thou being thus thus descended presume to giue iudgement vpon a man that is better borne then thy selfe yes why not hee is now in Gods place Hee that lifteth the poore out of the myre raiseth the beggar out of the duÌ„ghill that he may set him with the Princes of his people hath styled him with his owne name and set him in his roome I remember a storie in b Herod l. 2 Arist polit lib 3. Herodotus of Amasis an Egyptian king who in the beginning of his reigne was scorned of his subiects by reason of the basenesse of his parentage which when the king obserued he tooke a golden basen wherein his guests were wont to wash their feet and vse to some homely purposes and thereof made an image of one of their Gods and set it in an eminent place of the citie which wheÌ„ the Egyptians saw as they were marveilous superstitious they came flocking on heapes vnto it worshipped it Herevpon Amasis calling the people together told theÌ„ that hee was like vnto that basen which before was vile and abiect yet now was worshipped because of the forme it bare so hee though before hee was meane and base yet now was to bee honoured because he was the king for the persons sake whom he did represent It skilleth not what the Magistrate hath beene or what hereafter he may be For the present bee thy reputation never so great thou art to honour and reverence him if not for the mans sake yet for Gods sake whose person he beareth The story of c Liv. dec 3. lib 4. Plu in vit Fâ—bii Quintus Fabius is very worthie the noting Quintus Fabius was sent by the Senate of Rome to his sonne who was Consul and resided at that time in Apulia The old man either by reason of his age or to trie his sonnes courage went riding to his sonne which when his son obserued hee sent a Sergeant and commanded him to light and come on foot if he would speake with the Consul The by-standers thought it great arrogancie in the young man to be so bold with his aged father But old Fabius who had experience what it was to be Consul knew well that hee did no more then did beseeme him experiri volui fili said he satin ' scires Consulem te esse It is not for a Magistrate to debase himselfe neither is it for others of what reputation soever to equalize themselues with the Iudge whom God hath placed over theÌ„ whom Solomon would haue to be feared d Prov. 24.21 whom * Pet. 2.14 Peter would haue to be honoured whom f Rom. 13.5 Paul would haue to bee obeyed not for wrath only but even for conscience sakâ— 10 And this is not only meant of godly and religious Magistrates such as are described by g Deut 17. Moses which make Gods law of their privie Counsell and turne not aside to the right hand or to the left but of wicked and vngodly governours too such as are described by h 1 Sam. 8. Samuel which take mens sons appoint them to his charets to be his horsemeÌ„ to ruÌ„ before his charets take their fields giue them to his servaunts and their vineyards and giue them to his Eunuches The reason is because as wel the badde as the good are of God The one he giues in his loue the other in his anger Hee that gaue the regiment of a Commonwealth to Caius Caesar a milde and gentle Prince gaue it also vnto Marius a bloody Consul Hee that gaue it vnto Augustus a myrrour of humanitie gaue it vnto Nero a monster of crudelitie Hee that gaue it vnto Vespasian gaue it vnto Domitian Hee that gaue it vnto Constantine a religious defender of Christianity gaue it vnto IuliaÌ„ an authour of apostasie saith i August de Civil Dei lib 5. cap. 21 Austine And bee they good or bad wee haue no commandment from him but parendi patiendi of obeying them wheÌ„ their precepts are not repugnaÌ„t to Gods statutes and of suffering with patience whatsoever they shall lay vpon vs. It was a worthie saying of the mother of the two k Bonsin rerum Vag dec 3. lib. 2. Garaes when they kept Sigismond in prisoÌ„ that a crowned king if he were worse theÌ„ a beast could not be hurt without great iniurie done to God himselfe A lessoÌ„ which she learned from l 1. Saâ— 24 David whose hearte smote him when hee had cut the lappe of Sauls garment because he was the anointed of the Lord although hee m 1. Sam. 13 14. himselfe was before that time anointed to be